How do you calculate HP in D&D 5e?

At 1st level, HP equals the maximum value of your class hit die plus your Constitution modifier. For each level after that, add either the average value (half the die rounded up, plus 1) or a rolled value, plus your Constitution modifier again, for each subsequent level.

What is the average HP gain per level for each hit die?

d6 averages 4 per level, d8 averages 5, d10 averages 6, and d12 averages 7, in each case plus your Constitution modifier. These are the official fixed values used by the average HP method, rather than rolling.

Should I take average HP or roll for HP?

Both are official options; it comes down to table preference. Average HP removes randomness and produces predictable, comparable characters, which many Dungeon Masters prefer for balancing encounters. Rolling is more exciting but can leave a character with noticeably below-average HP on a run of bad rolls, with no official rule requiring a reroll.

How does HP work when multiclassing?

HP is calculated per class level using that class's own hit die, not a blended average across your classes. A Fighter 3 / Wizard 2 character adds three d10-based HP gains and two d6-based HP gains, each with your Constitution modifier added separately per level, not per class.

Does my Constitution modifier apply at every level?

Yes. Your current Constitution modifier is added once per character level, including level 1. If your Constitution score changes (from an ability score improvement, for example), only future levels use the new modifier; already-gained HP is not retroactively recalculated in most rulings, though some tables house-rule a full recalculation.

What happens to my hit point maximum if my Constitution score drops?

If a Constitution-reducing effect lowers your modifier, your hit point maximum decreases by the same amount per level already gained, and can reduce your current hit points below zero in extreme cases (which has specific rules for character death). This calculator computes maximum HP from a given modifier; it does not model mid-game Constitution changes.

Does the Tough feat apply retroactively?

Yes. The Tough feat grants +2 hit points per character level, including levels already gained before taking the feat, per its official rules text. This calculator's Tough toggle applies the bonus across your full entered level for exactly this reason.

HP Calculator 5e

The HP Calculator 5e works out a Dungeons & Dragons character's maximum hit points from class, level, and Constitution modifier, using either the fixed average method or manually entered rolls. It supports multiclass characters, applying each class's own hit die to the levels taken in that class. An optional Tough feat toggle adds the correct per-level bonus.

Class

Character Level

Constitution Modifier

HP Method

Tough feat (+2 HP per character level)

Maximum Hit Points

Level 5 Fighter (d10 hit die), CON modifier +2

Loading Calculator...

Related Expert Tools

More precision tools in the video-games niche.

View All

Point Buy Calculator

The Point Buy Calculator helps tabletop RPG players, especially D&D 5e enthusiasts, allocate ability scores using the point buy system. This calculator instantly shows the point cost for each ability score from 8 to 15, ensuring balanced character creation within your campaign's budget constraints.

Open Calculator

Encounter Calculator 5e

The Encounter Calculator 5e rates a Dungeons & Dragons combat encounter as Easy, Medium, Hard, or Deadly using the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide XP threshold and encounter multiplier rules. Enter your party size and level, then add monsters by challenge rating, and the calculator converts CR to XP automatically rather than requiring you to look it up separately. It adjusts the encounter multiplier for unusually small or large parties.

Open Calculator

HP Calculator 5e Logic

Level 1: max(hit die) + CON mod. Levels 2+: avg or rolled hit die + CON mod per level. Multiclass: sum per-class contributions.

Disclaimer: Results are estimates only. Always verify important calculations with a qualified professional before making decisions. Learn about our methodology.

What Is the HP Calculator 5e?

The HP Calculator 5e computes a Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition character's maximum hit points at any level, using the class's hit die, Constitution modifier, and choice of calculation method. Players and Dungeon Masters use it to check a character sheet, plan HP growth before levelling up, or verify an NPC's stat block against the official rules in the D&D Basic Rules character creation guide. It supports both single-class and multiclass characters, since HP calculation differs meaningfully between the two.

At first level, a character's maximum hit points equal the maximum value of their class's hit die plus their Constitution modifier, with no roll involved. Every level after that adds either a rolled or averaged hit die value plus the Constitution modifier again. Getting this sequencing right, maximum die at level 1 but a normal roll or average from level 2 onward, is the detail this calculator handles automatically.

Hit Dice by Class

Each class has a fixed hit die that never changes, regardless of subclass, and it is the single biggest factor in how much HP a character accumulates over a campaign.

Hit Die	Classes
d12	Barbarian
d10	Fighter, Paladin, Ranger
d8	Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Rogue, Warlock
d6	Sorcerer, Wizard

A level 10 Barbarian (d12) and a level 10 Wizard (d6) with identical Constitution scores differ by an average of 30 HP by that point, purely from the hit die difference, before accounting for the Barbarian's typically higher Constitution score on top of that. This is a deliberate design choice: front-line classes are built to absorb more damage than back-line spellcasters.

Average vs Rolled: Which Method to Use

The average method takes half the hit die value rounded up, plus one (so a d8 averages 5, a d10 averages 6), and applies that fixed number at every level after the first. The rolled method has the player roll the hit die at each level-up and use the actual result. Both are official rules; which one a table uses is a group decision, not a rules requirement either way, according to the D&D Basic Rules.

Rolling is more exciting at the table but carries real variance: a string of low rolls can leave a character with noticeably less HP than the average method would have given at the same level, and there is no official "reroll if below average" rule unless a table adds one as a house rule. Many Dungeon Masters running games for newer players default to the average method specifically to remove this swinginess and keep HP progression predictable for encounter balancing.

How Multiclassing Changes the Calculation

When a character takes levels in more than one class, hit points are tracked per class level, not per total character level. Each time a character gains a level in any class, they add that class's hit die (rolled or averaged) plus their Constitution modifier, using the hit die of the class the new level was taken in, not their original class. A Fighter 3 / Wizard 2 character has hit points built from three d10 rolls (or averages) and two d6 rolls (or averages), each with the Constitution modifier added separately, not five rolls of a single blended die.

The character's first class still determines the maximum-die-at-level-1 rule: only the very first level taken (in whichever class was chosen first) uses the maximum hit die value; every level after that, regardless of which class it is in, uses the rolled or average value for that class's die.

Accuracy and Limitations

This calculator applies the official 2014 rules exactly for the class, level, method, and Constitution modifier entered. It does not track HP lost to damage, temporary hit points, or class features that modify HP outside the standard formula (a small number of subclasses and feats grant bonus HP under specific conditions not covered by the base calculation, and should be added manually).

The Tough feat toggle adds a flat 2 HP per character level, applied retroactively at the level it is taken and thereafter, per the feat's text in the official Tough feat description. Other HP-modifying feats and features are not currently modelled and should be added to the calculator's result by hand.